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BNSF, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific were included in Military Times EDGE magazine's "Best for Vets" employers for 2013. The Class I's received the honor based on several factors, including veteran-recruitment initiatives. "We take pride in hiring veterans and military reserve personnel because of their strong work ethic, knowledge and leadership skills," said Roy Schroer, UP vice president of human resources.

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Veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald, known to many for his work on Animal Planet's "Emergency Vets" and "E-Vet Interns," might never have obtained his veterinary degree without a push from Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Dr. Fitzgerald, who had degrees in endocrinology but was working tour security at the time, says Richards advised him to pursue a new direction, and the band paid for three years of his veterinary education. Today, Dr. Fitzgerald, who has logged nearly three decades as a Denver veterinarian, continues working in show business as a comedian.

Colorado's Pikes Peak Community College has opened a new center to serve veterans and active military members. The school's Military and Veterans Center of Excellence, at the Centennial campus near Fort Carson, will offer academic advising, peer tutoring, counseling and support services for veterans, who make up about 25% of the school's student body. The center will also provide meeting space, a computer lab and a quiet study area. "I see this as a safe place where vets can talk with fellow vets," Cheri Arfsten, the college's director of military and veterans programs, said.

Veterans from wars before Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury at a rate similar to veterans of the newer conflicts, according to a new study presented at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 2013 Annual Meeting. "It looks like the prevalence of PTSD and TBI for veterans from Vietnam and other conflicts is the same as for those returning from newer wars, and we have a lot to learn by looking at resiliency and long-term consequences for these older vets," says Dr. Windsong Hollis, an Armed Forces Retirement Home geriatric psychiatrist.

John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York is testing a 10-week pilot program to train 30 employees who are military veterans to spot frustrated passengers and provide additional customer service to improve the flying experience. The program, called Neutralize Irritations Customers Experience (NICE), is for now focused on Terminal 4. "The goal is to expand problem-solving and customer service by tapping the leadership skills of the vets," said program creator Tom Murphy.

A discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of Diane Schroer, a trans woman who says she was refused a job at the Library of Congress because of her transgender status, is going to trial. Schroer, a 25-year U.S. military veteran, is being represented by the ACLU.